Redemption
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Sam, in a last ditch effort to save his brother and the world, steals Lucifer's power and throws himself into the past. Just one problem though...heaven felt it and now he has to worry about both sides trying to stop him! Can Sam rewrite his fate as Lucifer's vessel before the devil breaks free again, or will the world fall twice? Destiel (with Puppy Cas!) and Sabriel later on
1. Chapter 1

He was in darkness. There was so much pain and he knew it was all his fault. He never should have trusted Ruby. However, Sam Winchester was not someone who just gave up. He would find a way to make this right even if it killed him.

So he took his time. He let Lucifer believe that he had won. All the while he looked for a weakness in the former angel.

Finally, after two long agonizing years, Sam had what he needed. While Lucifer used his body to bring Hell to Earth, Sam had been gathering the angel's power piece by tiny piece.

Finally, seeing his brother's past self, Sam acted.

When that other angel appeared, Sam yanked on what was left of Lucifer's power as an angel and threw himself into the past.

Sam woke up in a bed. But it was where the bed was that told him he had been successful.

He was back in Stanford, in that tiny little apartment before he had met Jessica. Looking at the date, he realized it was about a year and a half before Dean found him again to get help on that hunt. Which meant it was two weeks before he met Jess for the first time.

Only Sam didn't want to deal with that mess twice.

So instead of going to the bar where his friend introduced him to Jessica, Sam went to a small local dojo. Sure he had to pay fifty bucks for the lessons, but he considered it a worthwhile investment to get back into shape.

Especially when he ended up getting a blackbelt three months later. He wasn't in as bad a shape as he had feared.

Sam spent his free time looking up things he felt would help in hunts later. If, as a consequence he never met Jessica, well that only meant she would live when Dean came to get his help.

* * *

In heaven there was some confusion. Zachariah had noticed a disturbing change in the youngest Winchester, and he wanted to know what was going on.

So he went amongst the younger angels until he found out gullible and naïve enough to follow his orders without question. The only one that fit that particular bill was one of Micheal's garrison.

Castiel.

"We need you to keep an eye on the youngest Winchester. See if you can find anything suspicious about him," said Zachariah flatly.

"Yes sir," said Castiel tiredly. He did not like Zachariah. The seraph was grating on a good day.

Castiel dropped down to Earth, but could not find any vessels to take on.

So he chose an alternate method. It took little time to find an animal that had the right bloodline to host an angel without harm. The only real problem was that the body was too young to do anything.

* * *

"No way. Your dog actually gave birth to a puppy with blue eyes? Isn't that like really rare for rottweilers?" said Sam.

"Yeah, but that's also a problem. These are supposed to be show dogs...what am I supposed to do with a blue-eyed one?" said Jacob.

"I'll take it. I like dogs, no matter what weird colors they have," said Sam picking up his coffee cup.

"Sure your apartment manager will let a dog that big in? His paws are pretty big," said Jacob dubiously.

Sam rolled his eyes.

"We have to pay a hundred extra, plus damages. They also have to be house trained within the first three weeks of getting them and have their shots up to date. And they absolutely cannot start fights, especially for the larger breeds," Sam listed. He had checked shortly after coming back from that awful future.

There was no way he wasn't getting a dog to help with the trauma of that future. As long as he avoided dating Jess, he would need something to keep him occupied on lonely nights that wouldn't ask weird questions.

A dog was perfect.

"Alright. Want me to bring it over when it's weaned?"

"Sure. Is it a boy or girl by the way?"

"Boy."

Sam was relieved. If it had been a girl he would have had to get it fixed. He could deal with a boy dog much easier.

Sam took one look at his future puppy and fell immediately in love.

"So what are you gonna name the little guy?"

"Castiel," said Sam without hesitation.

The little puppy yawned with the same intense blue eyes that Cas had.

* * *

_Eight weeks later..._

"Say hi to your new bed buddy Sammy!" joked Jacob.

In his hands was the same puppy Sam had picked out months ago. Castiel the pup barked and started to squirm in Jake's hands. Sam picked up his new puppy and scratched his ears. The pup settled down. His tail had been clipped a few days after he was born, with the rest of his litter.

"So your Manager's okay with Cassy here being in the place right?"

"So long as he behaves and I house train him before the deadline we're good. There's another resident two doors on the left who brought his dog with him, and he's a mixed Rottweiler," said Sam.

"Well lucky for you Cassy is pretty quiet compared to his brothers and sisters. Little guy didn't even make a peep when he saw the other dogs at the vet, while the rest of them wouldn't shut up."

"That is a good thing," said Sam.

Cas yawned in Sam's large hands and curled up against him.

"I can see the two of you are going to be fast friends," said Jake grinning.

* * *

Sam was having an intense staring contest. With his dog. It was considered a source of entertainment for his few friends that visited that didn't mind Cas.

Jake found it both creepy (Cas had this weird thing about his eyes) and hilarious at the same time.

Finally one of them admitted defeat. To the amusement of his friends, that one was Sam.

"That is still hilarious," said Jake.

"At least Cas is good about going outside. You sure you didn't crate train him?" asked Sam.

"Nope."

Cas, as if hearing his name, barked. His tiny little tail wagged and he immediately went to get one of his toys.

Sam got into a tug-of-war game that he let the pup win. It wasn't often that the puppy wanted to play like that. Usually he acted like, well, Castiel. He was also a total bedhog.

"So how's little Cassy been for you Sam?" asked Terrance.

It had been his dog that Jake had breed his female Pepper with.

"He's awesome. And he's started to be able to keep up with me on my runs," said Sam.

Cas barked.

"I still don't get why you're so obsessed with running and martial arts," said Jake shaking his head.

It was something they put up with, next to Sam's weird book collection. As far as they were concerned, Sam was a closet Wiccan.

Sam never bothered to correct them.

"Well at least now he's got someone to do it with. I still don't get why you refuse to meet Jessica. She's a nice girl," said Jake shaking his head.

"I'm not ready for a girlfriend just yet," said Sam, repeating the same thing he told them last time.

Actually it was less to do with being 'ready' for someone in his life and more to do with the knowledge that anyone that came into his life while that demon was out there would likely end up very dead once Dean showed up.

At this point Sam was counting down the days. He still remembered vividly the date of Jessica's death the first time. When his life had come crashing down on him and he was forced to face the hard truth.

At least Cas he could take with him. He didn't care what Dean said, he was not leaving his not-even-a-year-old puppy behind just to take on a damn hunt.

Not if he wanted that deposit back at any rate.

"Whatever dude. If I didn't know for a fact you had the hots for that one chick in Greek Mythology 101, I would swear you were gay," said Terrance.

"That's you," said Sam rolling his eyes.

"Look at the bright side, at least Sammy isn't some boring closet shut in!"

Sam smirked.

"I have beer and Monopoly. Anyone up for a game?"

"Dibs on the dog!" said Jake immediately.

"I'll order the pizza!" said Terrance.

"If you order extra onions again we will be obligated to smother you with a pillow," warned Sam. Terrance and onions lead to the worst gas outside of the one time Sam had fed Cas tofu. He never ordered that off the menu again.

"Seconded!" shouted Jake.

Sam smirked when, after adding _actual_ cash in the Monopoly game (the five hundreds being replaced by favors on pieces of paper for later) he sounded defeated both his friends. Because he was well aware they had to pay for more than one rather calm pup, he let them keep whatever hundred dollar bills they had. The rest however was fair game.

That still meant he came out several hundred dollars ahead though.

* * *

_Cas, nine months old..._

Sam was half asleep with Cas snoring on his side when he heard something entering his apartment. Cas woke up instantly and started growling. Sam reached for his bat.

This was the day Dean came back into his life, so he had kept it close at hand.

"Cas, guard," said Sam quietly.

The dog was pretty well trained at that point, so he slunk off the bed and went to find the intruder.

Without warning the person who broke in curse as Cas tripped him deliberately, giving Sam all the time he needed to flip the idiot onto the floor and pin him in a way that made it hard to breath.

"Sam! It's...me!" coughed Dean. Cas barked, before he did something that had Sam grinning.

He slobbered all over Dean's face.

"GROSS!"

"Hey Dean," said Sam, before his grin widened, "I see you met Cas."

"Since when do you own a dog?"

"As of roughly seven months ago. Dean, this is Castiel. Cas, meet my brother Dean."

Cas barked.

"No girlfriend?" said Dean. He was almost disappointed.

"Most girls are put off by rottweilers Dean," said Sam rolling his eyes.

"Whatever. So how have you been Sammy?"

"Why are you here Dean?" asked Sam, already knowing why.

"Right to the point? Alright. I need your help."

It was almost nostalgic. Dean showing up needing his help with research. However he put his foot down when it came to his dog.

"We are not taking the dog," said Dean flatly.

"There is no way in _hell_ I am leaving him behind alone. Cas might be pretty quiet but I've never left him for more than a few hours before. And I would really like to keep my deposit," said Sam equally flat.

"Don't you have some friends to leave him with?" whined Dean.

Sam had a fit of inspiration.

"Tell you what. Beat Cas at a staring contest and I'll see if Jake can watch him for a few days," said Sam.

"A staring contest?"

"A staring contest," confirmed Sam. Inwardly he was cracking up. Dean was so impatient it was highly unlikely he would do something even Sam had trouble with on occasion.

"You're on."

"And to make it more interesting I bet you a hundred that Castiel beats you," said Sam grinning. Dean blinked, and realized he had been suckered somehow, but not knowing how.

An hour later, Dean was cursing up a storm as he realized that he had just been beaten by a dog. A _dog. _Sam was cracking up as he packed up everything he would need for Cas later.

He also forked over a hundred bucks, because he had honestly thought that he could handle a simple staring contest with a dog.

He hadn't counted on his brother cheating. Or that Sam had taught Castiel hand signals in place of vocal commands with some of the police cadets on the weekends. They were happy to teach him how to train Cas like a police dog when Sam expressed an interest...and donated a couple hundred to the local police Christmas fund.

Cas had beaten Dean by repeating his earlier performance. Dean had been so close he hadn't been able to avoid getting another lick to the face.

Sam had taken a quick picture before Dean got the slobber off.


	2. Chapter 2

Dean quickly discovered the downsides of having the dog in the car, aside from the obvious hair in his precious baby.

Castiel couldn't _stand_ Dean's offkey singing. Sam had become immune to it through din of being forced to listen to it for years...he could zone it out. However Cas would start howling like the damned until Sam turned off whatever cassette Dean was singing to and Dean shut up. Then he would give his owner a betrayed look like 'why would you force me to endure _that_?'.

Sam found it funny as hell, but Dean hadn't.

To which Sam's flippant reply was that Dean should be grateful that none of the places they usually went to eat served tofu.

Dean had looked rather grossed out at the idea of the fake meat for dinner, but wasn't surprised Sam had tried it once.

* * *

Any and all complaints about Sam's dog went right out the window the second he found out it was a trained _hunting_ dog. The White Lady that their father had left so abruptly to try and find the demon that killed their mother had actually backed away from Cas. The dog had growled rather menacingly and actually forced her to back off when she tried to strangle Sam in the car.

"Sammy?" said Dean once he was sure his car was alright from Sam ramming it into the house.

"Yeah Dean?"

"I take back any complaints about that dog," said Dean.

Sam chuckled.

"There's a reason I shelled out two hundred to the local police Christmas fund to have Cas fully trained," said Sam.

"So that's how you got him to lick me!" said Dean accusingly. Sam snorted, but did not deny it.

* * *

Sam was not looking forward to returning to his apartment. On the plus side, he didn't have to see his girlfriend pinned to the ceiling with fire destroying his apartment like the first time.

"Dammit Sammy, get this dog out of the car."

"Dean, just leave him be. It's not like you're leaving until tomorrow anyway," said Sam rolling his eyes.

Dean growled, but nothing he could do would move the fifty pound dog from his spot in the back seat. Every time he tried to pick the hound up, it would growl at him.

Sam usually just patted his lap and Cas would become an instant lap dog. He rarely if ever picked him up unless they needed to visit the vet.

Dean was annoyed, but it did give him an excuse to visit Sam before he left.

Sam sighed as he entered his apartment. Then his nose caught the scent of something that had him freezing in his tracks.

Sulfur.

He immediately grabbed his bat, which despite it's appearances had been covered in salt that had been dissolved in holy water and was made entirely of iron.

He was still trying to get holy oil, but it was a pain in the ass getting it through customs. At this point he was going to wait until he could get Bobby's help, since he couldn't find the recipe for the damn thing.

At least then he would be prepared to fry a couple of angels for the hell they had put him through and because most of them were just plain assholes. Lucifer being at the top of that list (though Zachariah made a very, very close second).

Sam went through each room, taking his time. Eventually he made it into the one that he had avoided for good reason.

His bedroom.

His eyes immediately went up to the ceiling. And his heart nearly stopped from shock.

Why the hell was _Jessica_ on the ceiling?! He had avoided her to avoid this damn scenario from the start!

The second his eyes saw her, the blaze started.

"Sam!"

Castiel was barking like mad, and they barely made it out of the apartment before the fire really took off.

"Sam, are you alright?" asked Dean. Cas was not leaving his owner's side.

"What was she doing in my apartment?!" said Sam, still in shock.

"What?"

"Why was she in my room? I made sure to lock the door before I left," said Sam, starting to calm down with Cas' calm presence.

"Sam Winchester? We would like a word with you," said the cop.

"Cas, stay," said Sam. Castiel whined, but he stayed put with Dean.

* * *

"Sorry we have to do this Sam. Where were you for the past two days?"

"My brother Dean came asking me out for help. I left a note on my door and even warned my friends I would be out for a few days before I left. Hell, I triple checked to make sure the stove and everything was turned off before we went!"

"Do you know Jessica Sanders?"

"Only vaguely. My friends had been trying for months to set me up with her, but I decided to get Cas instead," said Sam confused.

That was the one thing that bugged him the most. Why the _hell_ had Jessica been in his apartment? He had locked the door and all the windows.

"So you have no idea how Ms. Sanders got into your apartment, let alone why we had to pull her from the ceiling?" repeated the detective.

"I locked my apartment up and took Cas with me. I have no clue why she was even there when I never gave her a key to my apartment," said Sam.

"It says here that one Terrance Hayes has a key."

"Jake has one too, in case of an emergency so he can get Cas out," said Sam, wondering what that had to do with anything.

Another officer came in, and spoke in a low tone.

By all accounts Sam had been unavailable for three full days and had already warned his friends he would be out of town for at least four. And when the fire department finally put out the blaze, they were baffled to find that it started on the ceiling directly under where Jessica Sanders had been.

Eventually it was chalked up to an electrical fire, though they were just as baffled as to why she had been in Sam's apartment, or how she had been pinned to the ceiling.

Dean was waiting patiently with a rather twitchy Castiel the dog while Sam was interrogated by the cops. At least the dog was behaving.

"Well?"

"They haven't the faintest clue as to why the hell Jessica was in my apartment, let alone why the fire just _happened_ to start right where she was pinned. Fortunately because I was out of town and she didn't have a key I'm not being blamed. I don't know how the hell I'm going to get my deposit back now though," said Sam irritably.

"Why'd you have the bat with you?" asked Dean. That had been the first thing he noticed, right after he registered the soon-to-be dead chick on the ceiling.

"I smelled sulfur," muttered Sam.

"What?" said Dean sharply.

"I closed the door and immediately smelled rotten eggs. I knew the stove was off so I grabbed my iron bat instead. The bedroom was the last place I hit and that's when I saw her," said Sam. He was exhausted. This entire experience had been incredibly draining.

At least this time around he hadn't had to suffer the emotional trauma of seeing a girl he had been fully prepared to marry die. This time she was just another random victim of the crap he had to deal with because he was a hunter.

Maybe when the Witnesses rose again he would find out why she had been in his apartment when she never had a key to begin with.

* * *

Dean had been surprised when he found out Sam had already graduated college, but he had been debating on a second go, this time for a law degree. The interview he had was to determine if he could handle the strain of those extra years, since he had a bachelor degree in mythology.

After losing his apartment (and unfortunately the deposit, despite the fact that it had been proven he had nothing to do with the fire) Sam decided to return to traveling with Dean again. Just with a furry addition to the team.

However there was one thing that worried Dean that he had seen in Sam's bag.

"Sammy?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do you have prescription pills?" said Dean, holding up a bottle with Sam's name on it. It had a few refills left.

Sam winced. He had hoped Dean wouldn't notice those.

"It's just anti-depressants. And I never take them with alcohol," said Sam defensively.

Sam was not about to explain about his memories of being Lucifer's meat suit. He needed those pills to keep from going off the deep end and trying to change things too fast.

Having Castiel had helped a great deal as well. It gave him something to put his focus on rather than the knowledge of what was to come. Besides, the dog really reminded him of a canine Cas.

Castiel, the only angel he would ever trust, because had never held Sam's demon blood addiction against him personally. Sure he had that weird habit of getting into those intense staring contests with his brother, but Sam actually thought Cas would have been good for Dean.

"Sammy..." said Dean in a tone that gave Sam a bad feeling. Dean was definitely going to be like Cas on a bone now that he had found this.

"It's fine Dean. The biggest issue is refilling it once the prescription runs out," said Sam.

It had been hell getting it in the first place. He was not looking forward to getting that prescription without a stable home address.

At this point he was perfectly willing to use Bobby's house as his primary residence to keep that filled. The real problem was getting to the doctor's office long enough to keep Dean off his ass.

"What the hell has you so depressed that you need pills?" asked Dean finally. He had limited knowledge of prescriptions, but he knew enough that what Sam was on was some pretty strong stuff.

Sam refused to say what he needed them for. All he knew was that they made him less suicidal, and that combined with Cas' presence he was less likely to do something monumentally stupid.

Like trusting Ruby.

"You're not going to go all kamikaze on me, are you?" asked Dean suspiciously.

"That's what the pills and the dog are for," snorted Sam.

Dean had to do a doubletake at Sam's flippant reply. Mostly because Sam had just answered his unspoken question that something was bugging him so much he had to get medication to deal with it. Because of their history Dean chose to drop his next question, which was less of a question and more of a demand as to what the hell had happened to his brother to need that kind of help.

However it did make bearing with Castiel the dog's presence a little more easier knowing Sam did have a valid reason for owning such a large hound.

* * *

Zachariah was impatiently awaiting Castiel's report.

"Well?" he said, once the lower angel appeared.

"Aside from suddenly needing medication to deal with depression, and a fierce desire to avoid any human contact that would involve relationships shortly before my arrival, I saw nothing out of the ordinary," said Castiel calmly.

His vessel, which happened to be the same dog Sam had taken in, was currently sleeping off a massive dinner. He had been very surprised when Sam named the hound after him. However it was the absolute trust the man had towards his dog and the affection whenever he said the name 'Cas' that kept him from mentioning it to Zachariah.

Like Sam knew of him and had actual trust in him.

"Do I look like I care as to his relationships or mental state?" growled the seraph, "What else?"

"His studies were exclusively geared towards mythology and he has developed an interest in running and hand-to-hand combat," said Castiel. He wasn't sure what Zachariah was after.

"Enough! Clearly you're absolutely useless," snarled Zachariah.

Something was up with the youngest Winchester, and he was determined to find out what.

Castiel was dismissed, but rather than stick around in heaven, he opted to retrieve his sword from Barachiel instead. That accomplished, Castiel went back into his canine vessel rather than have to listen to Zachariah's complaining about how useless he was.

If he had to chose between staying in heaven with a bitchy seraph and spending more time with the Winchesters, he would chose Sam and Dean every time.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean's concerns about his brother only grew worse when he realized that the only thing keeping him from waking them both up from nightmares was the dog. He had gotten up to use the restroom and a few seconds later (courtesy of the light from the bathroom) realized Sam was having one _hell_ of a nightmare.

However, because Castiel clearly didn't care one whit about being used as a living teddy bear, Sam stayed asleep. It was a fitful sleep, but it was still considered sleep.

Dean knew it had to be bad because Sam had literally knocked his blanket on the floor. And last he checked, Sam had been snoring under the cover with the dog right next to him.

Dean was a good brother, so he picked up the blanket, made sure Sam was under it, and tried to see if he could coax his brother into sleep talking.

Sam didn't do it often, but whenever something was really bugging him, sometimes Dean could trick him into it.

If Sam had known about this habit, he would have gotten even more annoyed with Dean than he already was after they had a bit of an argument when Cas stole Dean's pie earlier.

Because Sam honestly missed Dean, he had gotten used to keeping pie in the fridge. However as a consequence Castiel had acquired a taste for the pastry.

To sum it up, Dean now had to guard his beloved pie from a _dog_.

* * *

Sam was not sleeping in his mind like Dean was assuming.

As a consequence of dealing with _Lucifer_ stealing his body for two years, he had learned how to go into a trance-like state that mimicked sleep enough that he was able to function. Having the dog next to him made keeping a point of reference of where he was easier when he came out of it.

So he was very aware that Dean was next to him and had covered him up. But he was baffled at why his brother thought he would tell him what he wanted to know while asleep.

That is until his mind flashed back to several instances where Dean had known what was bugging him when he was too stubborn to admit it.

Realization hit him like a lighting bolt.

Sleep talking.

He was so slipping laxatives in Dean's pie tomorrow. He wasn't going to get the truth that easily!

Dean finally gave up, but he did cast a sad look at his brother. He wanted to be there for Sammy, like he always had been, but Sam didn't want Dean to know of the burden he now had because of his own mistakes.

He could only hope that Dean would understand why he had done the things he would eventually have to do.

Like killing that bitch Ruby on sight.

* * *

It had been four months since that incident with the fire, and Dean was seriously starting to think there was something up about his brother.

It was still Sammy, he knew that without question, but it was like he had aged several years overnight and was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. It was one of the reasons Dean put up with the dog, despite all the hair and the pie stealing.

Sam really seemed to rely on the canine for emotional stability than he was willing to explain. And if having that dog kept him from snapping, then Dean would keep the dog around. He just wished his brother didn't need those pills as well as the dog.

However Dean definitely knew _something_ was up when his attempt to cajol his brother into that weird sleep talking habit not only failed, but got him pranked as a result. Sam had a particularly vindictive look in his eye when Dean saw him and he knew that he had been busted.

However it was an incident shortly before they were going to deal with a monster Dean had encountered in their childhood (and nearly lost Sam to) that really told him something was up.

Sam was half asleep in the Impala while Dean was driving down some abandoned road. Suddenly he went ramrod straight and Dean could see real fear in his eyes.

Dean pulled over the first chance he had and noticed Cas was alert to something as well.

"Sammy?"

"No...they shouldn't be here this early..." he said to himself, and Dean could see Sam was _reliving_ something. Something rather traumatizing.

Instead of reaching for his dog or the pills he took every once in a while, he opened the door and took out a large jug he had added to their arsenal last month.

He had seemed particularly relieved to have that on hand, and Dean never had the chance to ask what it was.

In his other hand was a box of matches.

"Sam, what's going on?"

Sam's eyes weren't on Dean. It was like he couldn't hear his brother at all.

Dean followed his brother's line of sight. Castiel started growling in a way he only ever did when something really nasty was around.

There was a man on the road. He looked perfectly ordinary, except Dean wasn't fooled for a minute. Sam had some seriously well developed instincts, despite being out of the game for several years. And Castiel was one hell of a Hunter's dog.

If they were wary of him, then there was no chance Dean was letting his guard down until he had reason otherwise.

"Sam Winchester. Zachariah has a bounty on your head," said the man boredly. Like he didn't perceive Sam as a threat. Castiel clambered out of the open door and growled menacingly.

The man looked...amused? How can someone be so amused by a dog about to rip their throat out?!

"So this is where you took off too Castiel. Zachariah wasn't pleased by you failure," said the man.

Sam blinked, then spared a look at his dog.

"Cas?"

The dog showed no signs of acknowledging Sam's quiet question. Instead it's eyes seemed to glow with some form of internal light. If it wasn't for the fact Sam seemed perfectly at ease with his dog, Dean would have shot it already.

"You might as well surrender now Winchester."

"Tell that asshole Zachariah I don't give a shit about Heaven's so called plan. He can take Micheal's sword and shove it up his ass to join the bullshit he enjoys spewing so much," snarled Sam. He then did something that had the man looking at him with horror.

He threw the contents of the jug on him and showed the match in his hand.

At first the man's amusement was clear...until he seemed to recognize what was on him.

"I have matches and I'm not afraid to deep fry your sorry ass," said Sam with such a matter-of-fact tone that it sent shivers down Dean's spine.

"You win this round Winchester, but I'm not going to be the last. We will find out what you did," snarled the man.

He vanished with a sound akin to wings. Dean was utterly confused and somewhat worried for his brother.

Sam replaced the container in the back and let Cas into the back seat before he got back in. He looked utterly exhausted after that.

"Sammy? What the hell?"

"Not now Dean. Can we just leave before more of those assholes show up?" asked Sam tiredly.

"Only on the condition you explain what the _hell_ is going on. You've changed and I want to know why," said Dean flatly.

"Only if I get black out drunk after," said Sam equally flat. The pills weren't going to help, and he wanted answers of his own.

Like why the hell Zachariah had known something had changed enough to send _Castiel_ after him. He had always suspected something was different about his dog.

Normal dogs do _not_ get into the same staring contests he had seen Cas do with Dean on occasion.

* * *

Dean bought some strong liquor and made sure the room was secure. He wasn't expecting Sam to immediately add to it with runes he didn't recognize.

"Start talking Sam," said Dean after his brother had drained the first bottle without pausing.

"Where do you want me to start?" he said flippantly.

"How about what's up with the dog?"

That glowing eye thing still freaked him out.

"Actually I want to know that myself. I didn't know Cas could take over an animal instead of a willing volunteer," said Sam equally confused.

The dog chuffed. Sam felt something cautiously poke in his head, and he let the dog take the picture of Castiel from his memories. However it seemed that Castiel wasn't able to do a proper switch from dog to human.

Dean stared at the half-man, half dog. Sam just snorted in open amusement.

"Botch the transformation Cas?"

"I was unaware you knew of me from before," said Castiel.

"So was the dog a stillborn or what?"

"Certain animals have the proper bloodline to handle us. This dog was just the best one suited for me. However the fact you named it after me did catch me off guard," admitted Castiel.

"Puppy Cas," said Sam, slightly drunk, "So did that asshole Zachariah send you to figure out what was going on?"

"He sensed something had changed with you, and I was the first one he found available."

"Will _someone_ explain what the hell is going on?!"

Sam was sufficiently drunk enough by that point to tell his brother flatly the general gist.

"In short? Heaven and Hell want Lucifer out of the pit and to restart the damn fight between him and Micheal here on Earth. With _us_ as the starring roles," said Sam.

"What?" said Castiel and Dean at the same time.

Sam snorted. He was two for two in surprising people.

"Zachariah is only interested in us because we happen to be the unluckiest bastards on the planet. He just doesn't want any complications to the fact that they want the Apocalypse to start and for us to 'fulfill our roles' according to that monumental asshole. I wasn't expecting him to send Cas though," said Sam.

"I am curious as to how you knew of me. I'm not exactly one of the more well known..." started Castiel.

"You dragged Dean out of hell, and acted as our go between for the Host. You were easily the only tolerable one of the Host that we've dealt with. And I mean that sincerely. Probably why I didn't react to your presence in the dog," muttered Sam.

"What is this Host? A Host of demons?" asked Dean.

Castiel and Sam had some clue what was going on, but Dean was way in over his head. Though Castiel looked highly offended Dean had equated him to a demon so fast.

"Try something a little more arrogant and harder to kill than a demon. Demons are easier to deal with than the damn Host," said Sam flatly.

"Okay, what was that crap you threw on that guy?"

"Holy oil. You have _no_ idea what a bitch it was finding the recipe and incantation to make that. It was either throw it on him or try to make a ring and force him to stay put. Frankly I'm more in favor of frying their ass," said Sam.

"I am curious as to how you knew about this," said Castiel.

"You can read memories right?"

"With permission, yes."

"Then read mine. It's bad enough I have to tell Dean the bare bones of what's happening. I'm not telling him the rest if I can help it," said Sam flatly.

Castiel put his hand on Sam's head...and a few seconds retracted it almost as if he had been burned.

"I was unaware..."

"Dean does not need to know," said Sam. Castiel nodded in agreement.

This was something that would only worry Dean unnecessarily.

"Alright, one of you two start talking. What the hell is that guy and why are we being targeted specifically?!"

"Castiel is an angel. A real one. As for why were targeted, I've never figured that out. All I know is that heaven is so vested in insuring we were born that the manipulated our parents into falling for each other and even insured Mom would make a deal so that yellow-eyes would be able to enter our house that night."

"Angels don't exist," said Dean immediately.

Castiel shared a look with Sam. Sam shrugged.

Dean's jaw dropped when he saw the silhouette of wings behind the half-dog man.

"So what, heaven is out to get us too?"

"Pretty much. Only they shouldn't be moving this early. Last time it wasn't until you accidentally broke the first seal on Lucifer's cage that they actually got fully involved."

"How do you know about this Sammy?" asked Dean. That was what bothered him most. Like how the hell he knew Castiel when he had been so surprised to find him in his dog.

"Because I lived through it once, and I'd sooner jump naked into hell before I let it happen the same way twice," said Sam with such conviction that Dean knew he was being dead serious, despite the fact he was currently drunk off his ass.

"After seeing how things will turn out if I continue to follow Zachariah's lead, I will do what I can. But it would be inadvisable for me to take this form too often. It strains the dog's body," said Castiel apologetically.

"I get that. I was just surprised you were able to borrow his body to begin with, though that does explain how you kept beating me at those staring contests," said Sam. He looked like he was ready to crash.

Dean realized he wasn't getting much more from his brother, so he maneuvered the taller man onto the bed where he promptly fell asleep with a loud snore.

Castiel turned back into the large dog he had been and laid next to him.

Dean looked at the beer and started drinking. Things has just gotten infinitely more complicated.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean didn't know whether or not he had dreamed up that weird as hell conversation until he heard Sam's absolute pained moan and the dog actually giving him this way too intelligent stare.

That nixed that hope.

Dean waited until the pain from Sam's hangover had become a dull throb (he would swear he heard his brother _thanking_ Castiel for getting rid of the worst of the pain) until he pounced on him. The primary question he had was of course, if living through whatever the hell he had was the reason why he took those damn pills.

Sam gave him a look that clearly said 'what do you think?'.

"Dean, why exactly are you so hung up about me taking anti-depressants?" asked Sam, after he had eaten.

"I just don't want my baby brother becoming some degenerate junkie," said Dean.

Alcoholic he could live with. He would challenge anyone who knew about what they did to find him a hunter who _didn't_ have a drinking problem. But drugs were an entirely different kettle of fish and there was no way he was letting his brother go down that path.

Sam flinched.

He remembered Dean's reaction to his demon blood addiction and the withdrawal hell he had gone through. He never had a chance to fully get through the different stages because shortly after Lucifer had been set free, he had been tortured until the only escape was to say yes to the arrogant bastard.

"Sam?" said Dean dangerously.

"There's a reason why I'm so careful to follow the recommended dosage," said Sam evenly. He wasn't about to tell Dean about that.

Dean sighed. Sam had been surprisingly forthcoming last night, but he still was keeping a lot in.

On the plus side, Sam's intake of those damn pills had dropped just a little. Being able to warn Dean of even a small amount of what was really happening seemed to ease his depression somewhat.

Either that or having divine assistance for a change had made it easier to bear.

* * *

For a few months, things seemed fine. Whoever this Zachariah was (the fact that his brother hated him so vehemently meant he was a monumental asshole and therefor not listening to in Dean's opinion) he seemed content to watch for the time being since Sam clearly knew their weakness.

Either that, or according to a rather melancholy Sam, one of the arch angels wasn't allowing him to do more than watch when Castiel was already in their little group. So long as there was an angel on duty around the Winchesters, it was highly unlikely that the others would bother them for the time being.

Then they had a run-in with their father. The same person Dean was so desperate to find and Sam was clearly not interested in anymore.

When he had a moment alone with John Winchester, Sam decided to make his position clear with the man. It did not end well for either side.

* * *

"What do you want Sam?" asked John. He was loading up his truck.

"I know about Adam, you self-righteous asshole," said Sam flatly.

John went ramrod straight and dropped the salt he had been loading up. He then turned to Sam and looked at him with shock and outright suspicion.

"What."

"I know about Adam. As in our _half-brother _you decided was too _innocent_ to get involved into hunting?" said Sam with a growl. It was clear how he he felt about the matter.

"Who told you about him?"

"Let's just be clear John Winchester. As far as I'm concerned you were dead to us the second Adam came into the picture. I haven't told Dean about him just yet, but I will soon. And frankly you were never a good father to begin with," said Sam flatly.

"How did you find out about Adam?" said John, gripping his knife rather tightly.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" said Sam walking away.

John couldn't trust that Sam wasn't some demon, so he tried to attack him from behind. What he didn't know was that Dean had been coming into view and saw what happened next.

Sam not only dodged the blade, he disarmed their father and threw him to the ground hard enough to knock the air out of him.

"Sam! Dad, what the hell?" said Dean in shock. Cas was growling beside him and he looked ready to attack the man.

"That was your last chance. Consider your association with me dead John," snarled Sam.

Dean chose his brother over finding out what the hell his dad had just tried to do.

"Sam, what just happened?"

"I told John I knew about someone he had been keeping from us and when I didn't tell him where I found out he tried to attack me from behind," said Sam.

"Someone he had been keeping from us?"

"Later. This is actually something I was planning to share with you for some time, but not until we get this nonsense over with."

"What nonsense?"

"The Colt? Dean that thing is only good for demons and possibly the lower angels. There are easier ways to kill things without having to rely on that stupid gun all the time that don't have a secondary purpose," said Sam tiredly.

* * *

Dean kept half an eye on his father, because Sam was quite clear on his stance when it came to John Winchester.

The man was not his father and never had been. At best he was a sperm donor.

John however was acting as though Sam had suddenly become a demon, or worse, Satan. Sam ignored him completely, as he had long since lost any desire to be nice to the man who claimed he was their 'father'.

When he learned about Adam and how good their half-brother had it (no hunting and actual bonding moments that didn't involve monsters) Sam had become royally angry with John. Mostly because he could see how bad it hurt Dean to meet Adam and realize John cared more about his illegitimate son than he did about his other two. Dean had tried to hide it, but Sam had known.

Which was why he was going to wait before he brought it up with Dean.

Once Dean had his hands on the Colt, Sam waited before he casually said "Christo" when John was nearby.

The man flinched, and Dean immediately aimed the Colt at him.

Sam snorted.

"If that was your game plan Azazel, then you should have picked someone I won't try to stop Dean from shooting," said Sam flatly.

Azazel's eyes flashed.

"So you know my name. Impressive, when even your father has never learned that much," he sneered.

"Not really," said Sam, though unseen by Azazel he was flashing several hand signals to Cas. Had the demon noticed the slightly glowing eyes he would have been more wary of the dog.

Dean however saw it but had a good enough poker face to keep up appearances.

Suddenly Sam snapped his fingers, and Castiel acted.

It was possible for an angel to kill a demon without harming the poor bastard possessed. But it took time to set up and they really needed surprise on their side.

Castiel had time to prepare that attack, and Sam had shielded him from the demon's view. The moment he heard the snap, he struck.

Azazel cried out in shock and then outright pain as Castiel transferred his Grace through his teeth. The demon's soul was shredded and then destroyed...without killing John Winchester in the process.

John collapsed on his injured leg crying out in pain. Cas had let go the moment he sensed the demon was dead.

Sam was very, very glad Dean had the Colt and not John at that moment. He was sure the bastard would have shoot Castiel if he had.

* * *

Sam was driving the Impala while Dean slept in the backseat with Cas as his blanket. After seeing the angel/dog kill the demon who murdered their mother and forced them to become hunters dead by the one who didn't have a grudge with them, Dean had accepted Castiel the dog was there to stay as a permanent member of the Winchester team. Even if he did have the annoying habit of stealing any pie Dean left unattended on the table.

Sam had the weirdest feeling he was forgetting something, but couldn't remember what. The second he saw the semi up ahead gaining speed, he remembered what.

He had completely forgotten _why_ John had made that deal that killed him.

"Sam...what..." slurred Dean sleepily.

"Dean, do me a favor and put the seat belt on and brace," said Sam as he realized that semi was getting way too close for his comfort.

His dead serious tone had Dean scrambling for his seat belt and Castiel looking at him in confusion.

"Cas, if you're awake right now it would probably be better if you took the vessel with you for a few hours to heaven. I really don't want to replace either of you," said Sam.

He could see the demon's eyes, and he looked_ pissed_. There was no way he would be able to avoid the crash, but he might be able to make the damage a little less severe if he moved the car just right.

Better to be in the ER rather than the ICU ward in a coma. He remembered he had gotten the least amount of damage because he had been in the back seat at the time in his seat belt...and Dean was currently sitting up behind Sam.

Castiel vanished from the back seat...just as the truck plowed into the car. Thanks to the fact Sam knew it was coming minutes before it happened, he was able to angle the car in such a way that it didn't kill them on impact. It did however severely damage the passenger side.

Thankfully the car didn't roll, but it was a very near thing.

* * *

Sam was in and out of consciousness for hours after that crash. Dean had to get a cast on his leg from where a shard of metal had impaled his right leg, but it was better than the state Sam was in.

Castiel had somehow managed to hide his canine ears long enough to act as their emergency contact (though to Dean's amusement he still had the tail) and he had done what he could to keep Sam from slipping into a coma.

Mostly because he had sensed a reaper in the hospital and he wasn't about to let her take Sam. Not with how suicidal he was without those pills and Dean around.

Castiel vanished shortly before John Winchester showed up, having heard about the accident on the news. Bobby had taken the Impala to his Salvage yard for repairs (though he was of the opinion it was a lost cause) but would be by later.

"What do you want dad?" growled Dean. It was partially his fault that Sam was here in the first place. If he had the sense to get the anti-possession tattoo then they wouldn't have been attacked by a demon in the first place!

Sam had shown Dean his tattoo and explained what it was for. Dean was very quick to get his own once Bobby confirmed it would keep demons out.

"I came to see if you're alright," said John. He didn't know what to think about Sam, but Dean was still his son. He looked around.

"Looking for Cas?"

"Is that the dog's name?"

"His full name is Castiel, and he's the best dog we've ever had. He's also a pie bandit," said Dean with annoyance.

John snorted. Frankly he didn't see why they bothered to keep a dog. Most motels wouldn't allow them, which was why he had never let them have one as kids.

John suddenly sensed someone behind him. A man with an intense blue eyed stare and messy black hair was looking at Dean and ignoring him.

"Dean, Sam is awake and coherent. He's also trying to get the doctors to see if they can refill his prescription," said the man.

"Thanks Cas. I told them not to, since I'm still not happy he's taking pills," said Dean.

"Bobby also wants me to inform you that you owe him some explanations, because he's also found the old bottle Sam couldn't find last week," said Cas.

Dean winced.

If he had taken it badly that Sam was on anti-depressants, then he could only imagine how Bobby felt about it. He hadn't told the older hunter about that.

"Go stick with the Impala Cas. The last thing we need is for you to have problems with the vessel because it's too strained," suggested Dean.

"Only if you warn Bobby first. He almost shot me when I originally showed up," said Castiel immediately.

Bobby seeing a rottweiler that big from out of nowhere with such an intense stare? Shooting him was just a knee-jerk reaction. There was no telling how he would react to see Cas change _into_ the dog.

Dean chuckled, but called Bobby anyway to warn him.


	5. Chapter 5

John stared at his middle son with confusion. Hearing him argue with the doctor about the fact they had found anti-depressants in his blood work and how yes, he _did_ have a prescription for them and hadn't been drinking for a reason had been a surprisingly hard blow to take.

He wasn't aware Sam had been taking those kind of pills. Pain killers, he could understand. Prescription sleeping pills? Believable. But something to keep him from being outright suicidal?

What the hell had happened to him to get Sam to admit he needed help for that?!

"Mr. Winchester, you need to be reasonable. We have to cover all the bases after such an intense crash," said the doctor tiredly.

"And I told you, he hit _us_. I just had the sense god gave a mule to try and soften the blow as much as I could!" said Sam irritably.

"If you would just give us the name of your psychiatrist who prescribed the pills..."

"I already did!"

"He has no record of you coming in for a session."

Sam growled.

"Then why didn't you call the first name I gave you?"

"We did. He said you were no longer a patient and that he had transferred your records to the second name you gave."

"And it _never_ occurred to you that maybe I hadn't run out the prescription the first guy gave me just yet?! I don't take them every day!" said Sam irritably.

He was really, really glad that he had put the pills someplace where the doctors wouldn't be able to get into.

The bag he usually took on hunts. Dean was firm about not having them in the car, but he acknowledged that Sam did need them on the really bad days. So they had a compromise, just like they did with Cas. Sam would keep his pill bottle in the trunk so he didn't have easy access, and Dean would keep his mouth shut about Sam taking them.

Sam had taken one an hour after Castiel killed the demon, which was why the blood they drew shortly after being admitted had any of the drug in it.

Clearly the cops suspected Sam was suicidal after hearing he took anti-depressants and had deliberately turned the car into the semi.

Dean always knew cops were idiots.

Finally Dean intervened in the argument between the doctor.

"Sam does take pills, but I'm always careful to monitor that he only takes the right dosage. I'm not exactly thrilled he has to be on them," said Dean.

The doctor turned to Dean.

"You can confirm he has never abused his prescription?"

"I saw him take one a few hours before the crash. He keeps them in the trunk because he knows I'm not a fan of him having a prescription for anti-depressants. Between that and the dog, he has trouble sleeping at night," said Dean.

Sam rolled his eyes.

"Dr. Shawn gave me a prescription for sleeping pills, but I never filled it after the first time," said Sam.

He had tried it once, but combined with the other prescription he chose to not get it refilled. He still had most of the bottle for the really bad nights when he just couldn't sleep.

Or in the event he needed to drug his brother so he didn't follow him. That was the only reason he had kept those.

"Can you confirm that he did not deliberately turn into the truck?" asked the doctor.

Dean gave him an incredulous look.

"How in the hell would Sam drive _into_ the truck and have only the passenger side completely mangled? If he were suicidal wouldn't it be the driver's side that was wrecked?" said Dean.

The doctor blinked. He would have to consult the detectives investigating the crash.

A few calls confirmed that yes, it had been the passenger side that was nearly destroyed not the one where Sam and Dean had been pulled out of. And that the dog, which had barked at the rescue workers had been taken by a friend until one of the brothers could pick it up. Finally a discreet inquiry by the cops revealed that the prescription was to _prevent_ suicidal actions.

All indications showed that Sam had turned _away_ from the truck before the crash, not into it.

They still weren't going to refill his prescription though.

* * *

Sam was not in a good mood. After that crash, his remaining refills had been voided. He had to go back into the doctor's office with a new psychiatrist just to get his prescriptions filled.

What Sam hadn't told Dean was that he did cheat a little originally just to get those pills.

He didn't know whether it was a side effect of being stuck with Lucifer in his body for two years, or just picking up what could only be the silver tongue of Loki himself.

Either way, Sam had to be extra convincing about the way he spun his tale just to avoid being committed.

Half the hunters who got into the game as early as them either ended up dead, in the nut house, or as paranoid as John Winchester.

And quite frankly he would like to avoid option number two or three.

"Well?" said Dean two hours later.

"I got a generic prescription...and a lower grade sleeping pill," said Sam evenly.

The last one he tried made him extra loopy when combined with alcohol.

Dean grunted. He wasn't happy Sam had gotten that. The sleeping pills could be useful, but anti-depressants just made him worried.

"We got your damn pills. Now what the hell did you say to Dad that had him try to kill you?"

Sam rolled his eyes.

"Let me get this filled first," said Sam.

"Will we be needing alcohol?" asked Dean.

"Most likely."

"Then you can't take any of those until tomorrow," said Dean.

"Deal."

* * *

Bobby gave Sam a look, then at Cas pointedly.

Sam chuckled.

"Did you get into a staring contest with him yet?" asked Sam.

"No, but there's no way in hell that's a normal dog," said Bobby.

"Is there pie?"

"I had to put it in the oven. That _thing_ was staring at it and I couldn't take my eye off him for a second."

"Be nice to Cas," said Sam.

"I don't care what you call it," said Bobby gruffly.

Dean had retrieved his pie by that time, and the dog immediately honed in on him.

"Back off pie bandit," said Dean offhandedly.

"Get the beer and I'll tell you why I want nothing to do with John Winchester ever again," said Sam.

Once Dean had his fill of pie (and the rest given to a very determined Cas) Sam started talking.

"John...has a third son."

"What?" said Dean, glad he hadn't taken a drink just yet.

"His name is Adam, and he has no idea what we do. Dad's been visiting him off and on for years, even taking him out to ball games," said Sam.

Dean looked like someone had irrevocably destroyed his baby and killed Sam at the same time. It was a good thing he was sitting down and his beer was finished, because the bottle dropped to the floor from absolute shock.

Bobby was looking rather shocked too. Cas had his head on Dean's lap.

"Dad has a son that he didn't tell us about?" said Dean.

Sam nodded.

"When we found out the first time, Dad was already dead and Adam called us in. He was such a rookie that he ended up killed by a ghoul that had been hunting him," said Sam.

"First time?" said Bobby.

"Apparently Sammy lived through this once already, but he refuses to tell me how he came back," said Dean flippantly.

"Because the events that lead to me being _able_ to come back the first time will not be repeated if I have any say about it," said Sam tiredly.

"Will someone explain what the hell is going on?"

"In short? Heaven and hell want to jump start the Apocalypse and have us staring the main roles," said Sam tiredly.

Bobby stared at him.

"Are you on whatever the hell you've been taking lately?"

Dean snorted.

"More along the lines of I made him tell me after we got jumped by some weirdo on the road who was scared off by some fancy oil," said Dean.

"Holy oil. One of the few things angels are weak against."

"Angels don't exist," said Bobby.

"Castiel? Think you can handle a demonstration or should we wait?" asked Sam.

Cas barked. Suddenly there was a shadow of wings behind him. Bobby stared.

"Angel-dog," said Dean grinning.

"I fully blame the fact Cas is a pie bandit on the fact I kept buying pies before you showed up again," said Sam.

"So what, John, had another kid he cared about more?" said Bobby.

He didn't know how to react to this news, but he knew how Dean would handle it. He would likely go out to find some random woman and get laid. Preferably with multiple partners.

Dean's reaction to bad news was pretty straight forward. It was a miracle he hadn't gotten anyone pregnant yet.

"So how did John react to when you said you knew about this Adam kid?"

"I told him flat out to consider himself out of our life. There was a reason why I wasn't so interested in finding him and that's why," said Sam. Bobby snorted in approval. Cutting ties with John was probably the best thing he could do in that situation.

"Was that why he attacked you? Because you said you knew about Adam and wouldn't explain how you found out?" asked Dean suddenly.

"Let's get one thing straight. I trust you and Bobby, but it will be a cold day in the pit before I tell John Winchester a damn thing about what's going to happen. He's more likely to try and kill us than to listen to reason," said Sam coldly.

"Got that right," muttered Dean. He could understand where Sam was coming from.

John had already warned Dean at the hospital that he might have to kill his brother. Dean trusted his brother more at this point than his father.

"So what's the big game plan?" asked Dean.

"Azazel has this blood tournament going on for people like me. People he's dosed with a small amount of demon's blood to awaken psychic powers. The last one standing is turned into the leader for an army of demons he's waiting to unleash by using the Colt as a key to unlock a special demon gate. It's currently situated in a large demon trap made by the same man who made the Colt, though why he didn't just have some idiot under a crossroads contract go in to unlock it I have no idea. I know where the tournaments at, but I don't know if it's started just yet," said Sam.

"Dosed with demon's blood?!" said Dean horrified.

"So long as I don't go after demons for their blood it's relatively benign. And I know how to train my powers without using it now," said Sam.

"What sort of powers?" asked Bobby.

"It started out as visions, then telekinesis, until I jumped straight into forcing demons out of the poor bastards they were possessing just with my mind. Though I would prefer not to repeat the same way I went about it before," said Sam.

"Anything else?" asked Bobby. He was still doubtful, but _something_ had to happen for Sam to start taking medication to handle it!

"That's the immediate problem. It's bad enough Heaven picked up on the fact I managed to throw myself back to try and stop this mess. At least the one they sent to check out what happened was Castiel," snorted Sam.

"What's so special about Cas? Aside from that weird staring thing he does..." asked Dean.

"Castiel is the only angel I've met who isn't a complete and total asshole," said Sam flatly.

Castiel chuffed.

"It's true and you know it Cas," said Sam, looking at the dog.

"Prove it," said Bobby.

"I haven't met a lot of angels, but those that were sent to Earth by the angelic Host were all monumental 'dicks with wings' as Dean liked to call them. Every single one except Castiel."

"They couldn't be all that bad," said Dean, before Sam cut him off.

"Zachariah, perfectly willing to put you into a major illusion and didn't hesitate to try to keep you hostage. Uriel, enthusiastic about killing off an entire town just to stop two witches and kill another angel just because she wanted to learn more about humans. Raphael, who killed Castiel when he helped you to reach the current Prophet of God just because you wanted to try and save me. Micheal, who sealed off heaven just because Lucifer got to his vessel before him and because the Micheal Sword was smart enough not to say yes to him... Do I need to go on or do you get the idea now?" said Sam.

Dean and Bobby were silent.

"As far as I can tell, the higher the angel is in the Host, the bigger the asshole they end up being," said Sam, taking a long pull on his third beer.

"What about this Castiel?" asked Bobby.

"Cas is a foot soldier. Every other angel we met was able to boss him around," Sam said.

"So what good is he?" asked Bobby.

"So long as he's around, the other angels consider the situation at hand. They'll leave us alone, I hope."

"So what now?" asked Dean.

"Now we do what we always have. I know the more important events, but it would be easier to continue acting as we always have," said Sam.

"So you're not going to try and stop this?" said Dean.

Sam gave his brother a look.

"And create a paradox effect? No thank you. Haven't you ever seen time-travel movies or read sci-fi books? Hell, even the Doctor doesn't screw with fixed events."

"The Doctor?"

"He's talking about _Doctor Who,_ idjit," said Bobby. He was the one who got Sam into that series.


	6. Chapter 6

Dean was facing his greatest foe. He would not submit to this mighty enemy. He would not... Dammit.

Cas chuffed in amusement as Dean blinked. Sam wasn't holding back his own amusement.

"Cas is the undisputed _king_ of staring contests. I swear he was a cat in another life."

"Remind me again why we're back in Lawrence?" complained Dean.

He wasn't particularly enthusiastic about visiting his mother's grave.

"Zombie. If we do this right we can stop her from killing anyone."

"Which leads to my next question. Just why the hell was _your_ dog on _my_ bed?"

Sam couldn't help the outright laughter that spilled out from that simple question. It seemed things never changed. Castiel still had a thing for his brother.

"Sam..." said Dean in a warning tone. Sam managed to contain his snickering long enough to tell him.

"Cas has a thing for the brooding types," he said.

"Say what now?" said Dean.

"Cas has a crush on you. Happened last time, but it never went anywhere for some reason."

"The _dog_ has a crush on me," deadpanned Dean.

"No, Castiel the angel has a crush on you. The dog has apparently figured out that you are a constant source of pie crumbs," corrected Sam.

At some point in time Cas (the dog) had fallen in love with Dean because the man shared half a pie with him. As a result he was just as loving to Dean as he was to his owner.

However Dean wasn't as used to having such a big dog trying to kick him off the bed like Sam was at this point. Nor was he happy about the dog's habit of sitting on his lap.

Sam couldn't resist adding "Besides, don't think I didn't notice you staring at his ass and tail last time he went human."

Dean actually blushed. Sam had secretly taped the entire thing so Dean couldn't claim he wasn't staring at Castiel's ass.

Castiel could only take human form once a week, if he didn't use any of his grace. Any more than that, and he risked straining the dog's body. However when he did take human form, he usually stayed like that for a few hours.

During which time Dean had a habit of staring after Castiel.

Sam hoped those two finally quit staring longingly at each other and just get on with it already.

* * *

"So let me get this straight. That weird death was caused by someone who got dosed like you were?"

"You might want me to drive the Impala Dean. Last time you just handed over the keys to him," said Sam snorting.

"Not a chance in hell," said Dean immediately. Last time Sam drove they got smashed into by a semi.

"His power involves mind control. Last time I saw Andy he had the ability to create illusions, according to him."

Dean winced.

"Either that or Cas sits in the back whenever I'm not in there to scare him off," said Sam.

"Cas, you don't mind guarding the car do you?" asked Dean seriously.

Castiel barked.

"Either way you're not driving my baby," said Dean.

* * *

A few days later he was wishing Sam had driven the car. The guy spilled _soda_ all over his dashboard when Cas started barking up a storm right behind him. Sure he got plenty of it on his lap, but the fact was that Dean was cleaning it off for two hours.

When Sam caught him after he jumped out of the car, the first thing he did was slap Andy on the head.

"Idiot. You better hope Dean doesn't catch you after I let you go, or he might actually strangle you for getting that on his car," said Sam.

"Dude... are you like me?"

"No, because I wouldn't have been stupid enough to get in the car without checking the back seat first. Cas, sit," said Sam.

Castiel had been let out by a horrified Dean who was trying to mop up as much as the soda as he could before it could dry in the car.

"That is one big dog," said Andy wide-eyed.

Castiel's head reached Sam's waist. He was the biggest in his litter.

"Relax. Cas only looks menacing. Say hi Cas," said Sam.

Castiel held up a paw, and Andy shook it. That seemed to relax the other psychic.

"SAM GET ME SOME HOT WATER BEFORE THIS SETS!" said a panicked Dean. He was really having a freak out moment.

"Dean just take it to the nearest car wash and do it manually," said Sam rolling his eyes.

Dean drove rather panicked to the first car wash he could find to get the sticky substance off his dashboard. Some of the older car enthusiasts were happy to help, once they heard his problem and saw his genuine love for his car.

* * *

"So... you're like me," said Andy.

"I'm Sam and I have visions and the occasional bout of telekinesis."

"Andy, and I do mind tricks and the odd acid trip illusion. What's the dog's name?"

"Castiel the pie bandit," said Sam with a straight face. Cas barked in agreement.

Andy snickered.

"If you think that's funny, just wait till my brother gets back. Then again you might want to avoid him for a bit. He's really, really protective of that car," said Sam.

It was a shame Andy was going to be dead at the end of the year, but that wasn't Sam's problem.

What was his problem was Andy's twin brother killing people he perceived as having wronged him.

Shouldn't be too hard to deal with that idiot.

* * *

Sam groaned. He had such a migraine, and worst of all was that Dean had locked his pills away as punishment for having bribed Andy into giving him some blackmail material for later.

He didn't know why Sam had been in the mood to embarrass the hell out of him, and he didn't care. All he knew was that if he saw another set of dog ears not on a certain angel, he was going to shoot the culprit. Unless it was Halloween.

There was another thing that had him blushing whenever he thought about it.

Somehow, someway, Sam had drugged Dean with some form of supernatural aphrodisiac and then convinced Castiel to show up in human form with dog ears.

He had seen his brother's smug grin after Dean had pretty much jumped the angel the second he showed up once they had dealt with Andy's twin brother, who's name Sam had never bothered to remember.

Frankly Sam thought it was about time those two quit dancing around each other.

Sam turned the sign over when they stopped by the Roadhouse. He remembered the massive cat fight they were about to walk into, and frankly he was glad he had already taken some prescription migraine pills he had gotten the last time he saw his current doctor when he had to get a refill.

Though that was one thing Dean didn't mind Sam taking, and would occasionally ask for during the really irritating hunts. Well that and the sleeping pills whenever they were at Bobby's.

Sam decided to end this before Jo and Ellen gave him a bigger headache, so he did something Dean really, really hated.

He whistled sharply, causing Cas to sit at attention on his right side waiting for a command.

It was a trick he learned from the K-9 cops.

"Dammit Sammy!" whined Dean. He had been right next to his brother when he did that. His ears were still ringing.

"Now that I have your attention," said Sam ignoring the three glares from Dean, Jo and Ellen respectively, "Jo, it's a really, really bad idea for this to be your first hunt."

"Why?" she demanded.

"Do you really want me to list the reasons?" said Sam.

Seeing her stubborn glare, Sam sighed.

"First off, I've noticed that hunt and frankly sending in a natural blond like you would just be asking for trouble. This spirit seems to target young blonde women and the last thing I want to deal with is Ellen shooting us for letting you become bait," said Sam flatly.

"You bet your ass I would," growled Ellen.

"Second, none of his victims have been found, and it would be a better idea for a greenhorn like you to take on something easier. Maybe if his body wasn't buried in concrete it would be acceptable, but this isn't a typical salt and burn," said Sam.

Jo looked irritated, but she hadn't been aware that the ghost's body was buried in concrete.

"Plus there's the fact that it was our dad that got yours killed because John Winchester was a dumbass," said Sam.

Now that Dean knew about Adam, he wasn't so inclined to defend their father.

"What?"

"John Winchester is the reason your dad was killed. I don't know the details but I know it was because John is a complete asshole who has trust issues," said Sam honestly.

"You don't trust your father?" asked Ellen.

"John Winchester might have given half his DNA to us, but he's no father. To be perfectly honest Bobby was more of a father than ours ever was," said Sam flatly.

"I'll second that," said Dean.

"I doubt I would ever be able to trust a Winchester...but a Singer is another story," said Ellen.

She respected Robert Singer. He was a good man and a better hunter. But John Winchester was another story altogether, and that was _before_ he got her husband killed acting as bait.

"How about this. Dean and I will take care of this ghost before it kills again...and afterwords we'll find a much easier hunt for you to learn the ropes without having to worry about acting as bait?" offered Sam.

"Find another hunt for her to do where she's won't be used as bait and I'll consider it," said Ellen.

Jo blinked.

She never expected her mother to back down that easily...

* * *

"So Sammy, where's this ghost?" asked Dean. From the way Sam knew about the ghost, he had to remember this from before.

"His area is in the field by the hotel. Some old sewer drains. Ellen was _pissed_ last time, and I don't want her mad at us. Besides, this way we might be able to establish we're not like John through her," said Sam.

John Winchester had burned a _lot_ of bridges during his hunting career. It didn't help that he had a bad habit of using his 'partners' as bait and that some of them had gotten killed because he was more interested in killing things than watching their backs.

It was probably why so many hunters had been really, really pissed off at them when the angels tricked them into letting Lucifer out.

"That bad?"

"Worse."

Dean winced.

"Still, thanks to that _Back From the Future _crap you have going on, at least we know how to end this fast," said Dean fake-cheerfully.

"I'm not stealing the cement truck," said Sam immediately.

"Cement truck?"

"Last time we trapped the guy in a salt circle and then dumped cement down the hole to keep him there for eternity. Unless... Cas, do you think you could send this guy to hell where he belongs?" asked Sam, turning to face the dog. Too bad Cas was sound asleep.

Castiel was not very happy about having to go down the sewer. Because his vessel was a canine, he could smell _everything_ that was in there.

He was even less pleased with the fact the ghost had been taking living humans down there to kill them slowly through torture.

Still, Sam was correct in that he could deal with the ghost permanently without having to worry about further deaths. The only issue was that it would take twice as long before he could take human form again.

When informed of such, Sam said it was worth having to wait before the dog could handle the strain. Dean didn't like it, but he could live with it.

One touch, and the ghost was in hell where he belonged. The minute Castiel was above ground and the hole closed (and the current victim rescued) he went back to being a very tired rottweiler. Sam maneuvered the exhausted hound into his usual spot in the back seat.

After that they took Jo on a much easier salt-and-burn case. Ellen wasn't happy about her daughter becoming a hunter, but at least she knew the boys wouldn't turn Jo into bait like their father would have.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:**_ **Just so we're clear here, I am planning temporary character death in regards to Sam. He will not stay dead (or human) but he will return...and Gabriel is going to get a rude wake up call when he comes back.**

* * *

Sam was the one who opted to deal with the crossroads demon, and boy was she in for a shock.

"I want to talk to Crowley, and before you say no tell him I have an offer he needs to consider," said Sam bluntly once he summoned her.

"What, am I not your taste?" she said coyly.

"No, but he won't thank you if he has to go through a middleman for what I have planned."

"Yeah, yeah, hold your britches Sasquatch. This had better be good though. I don't want him wasting me for some crappy deal," she said rolling her eyes.

An hour later Crowley showed up.

"I hear you have an offer. Let's get to the point Moose, I don't have all day," he said with a perfect British accent.

"I know you want Lucifer to stay in that damn cage, and I want to piss heaven and hell off at the same time by keeping my brother from ever going to the pit," said Sam flatly.

He had the satisfying sight of the King of the Crossroads being rendered speechless.

"And how would a hunter know about that plan?" he asked carefully, interest clearly piqued now.

"Because I've been through that future, and I'd rather jump into the pit bare naked without a single weapon then let that overgrown feather duster ride in my body twice," said Sam vehemently. "My brother is still in the dark about the plan, but I plan to screw over heaven and hell by robbing them of Lucifer's true vessel."

"Okay, you've got my interest Moose. What's the plan? Go into the pit and become a demon? Get turned and end up in Purgatory?" asked Crowley.

"I was thinking something more permanent. Something that neither heaven or hell could reverse, at least not without divine assistance, and let's face it, if God really were paying attention or gave a shit about humans, he would have intervened years ago," said Sam snidely.

Crowley snorted in complete agreement.

"So how do you plan to keep the angels from interfering?"

"I know Azazel's tournament will eventually end in the death of a Winchester. It's the only way they could get Dean to make that deal. However if I'm the one who makes the deal that saves his life, and then shoot myself somewhere fatal with the Colt, then neither heaven or hell can resurrect me. You can't bring back what's been erased, and it was caused by free will," said Sam.

Crowley stared at him.

"You would be willing to kill yourself with that gun just to screw over heaven _and_ hell?"

"Like I said, I'm not letting that bastard use me to fight my brother. Never again. If keeping Dean and those I care about safe means I have to die in a permanent fashion by my own hand, then so be it. Not even the angel that's traveling with us has any idea of my plans," said Sam.

Crowley was _impressed_ with this hunter's resolve. He clearly knew how to piss off a lot of interested parties. By killing himself he would doom his soul to hell, but if he used the Colt then the demons couldn't resurrect him no matter how hard Dean tried. And since committing suicide was all about free will, the angels couldn't bring him back without falling. Crowley had the feeling if the other brother knew why Sam Winchester killed himself, then it would be a snowy day in the pit before he said yes to Micheal or any angel.

Sam Winchester would effectively stop the Apocalypse cold, and there would be nothing anyone could do about it.

"Impressive for a Moose," said Crowley appreciatively, "But why tell me?"

"Last time you had Bela steal the Colt in an attempt to get out of her contract. I don't need her on our ass being a nuisance, especially if she does succeed in stealing the Colt. Coincidentally what are your feelings towards Ruby?"

"Can't stand the bitch," said Crowley immediately.

Sam had a shark like smirk. Crowley had the feeling if Sam had a choice, he would have become one hell of a demon. Probably even an arch duke.

"Want her head on a platter?"

"What do you want in exchange?"

"A partnership to insure the Apocalypse is well and truly screwed over, with no chance of Lucifer getting free," said Sam.

Crowley laughed. Anyone else would have shivered, but not Sam. He was too far gone at this point to give a damn.

He held out his hand, and Sam shook it. There was a rumbling of thunder in the distance.

"I take it you want the contract that man had ended?" he asked.

"If only so Dean never suspects what I've done. My plan will break him one way or another, but I don't want him trying to stop me. And as for Bela...she's conniving enough to suit you. Perhaps she could make a halfway decent minion instead of leaving her on the racks?" suggested Sam.

Crowley looked intrigued at the thought. He could always use a competent lackey to do his paperwork.

Sam left, and Dean had no idea of the bargain he struck with Crowley. Because the demon hadn't actually _made_ a deal with him, Castiel wouldn't pick up on the agreement either. Which was what Sam wanted.

* * *

Sam was having a crappy couple of months. It had nothing to do with the fact he had to deal with Dean's paranoia after he took dream root to escape a vision of his brother wasting a man he now knew to be possessed by Azazel's son and finding out he still had Lucifer's grace inside him. It had nothing to do with the fact that he narrowly avoided having to deal with that bitch Meg trying to possess him, or killing Gordon the first chance he had because the insane vampire hunter tried to kill him.

No, this had everything to do with their current hunt. He still had a grudge against that bastard Loki after the Mystery Spot, and he would never dare let this opportunity to screw him over after that mess pass him by.

Only things hadn't gone exactly as planned.

The minute he got five feet of Loki his internal angel radar went off. Big time. He had barely resisted the urge to snap and start laughing at how far back heaven had been screwing with him and his brother.

Instead he went to the first bar and started drinking. He was not dealing with a damn angel. Not now.

"Damn Sammy. Think you can stop before you drain the place dry?" asked Dean. Something was definitely up.

"Just to warn you, I'll be a little loopy later. If I find out you went fishing for answers I will shoot you in the ass without hesitation," said Sam flatly. Dean put two and two together.

"Sam, you know I don't like you taking..."

"After what I just found out, I don't give a shit Dean. I need something to take my mind off what I learned and you're not going to intervene," snarled Sam. He needed the extra buzz of mixing medication and alcohol just to deal with the realization Loki had been a damn angel the entire time.

Probably a seraph too, with how much of an asshole he was.

* * *

Loki, or Gabriel, was confused and baffled. Sam Winchester had taken one look at him, and he had _known_ he was the Trickster. The baffling thing was that instead of trying to kill him, he immediately went to the bar and got so shit-faced drunk he was almost guaranteed a hangover. And if that weren't confusing enough, he had just spotted the Sasquatch walking around acting...high...for lack of a better term. Dean had looked pretty angry about it too.

The weird thing was he couldn't find a trace of anything to cause that. Only some anti-depressants, sleeping pills...and a dog housing an angel. Pretty low ranked and unlikely to sense what Gabriel actually was unless he slipped.

It bugged him so much he cornered the moose when whatever he had taken started to wear off and he was half-asleep from the alcohol in his system.

"Damn feather brain. Why couldn't you and those assholes leave us alone?" slurred Sam. He was looking at Gabriel when he said it.

Gabriel stared at him. Sam couldn't possibly know.

"Fucking angel..." said Sam before he blacked out.

Gabriel's jaw dropped. How in the _hell_ did Sam know he was an angel?! He went to touch the kid and nearly reeled back. He knew that grace.

Why did the vessel of his older brother have _Lucifer's_ grace when last he checked the arch angel was still in the pit? And why were there traces of drugs in Sam's system?

He needed to get to the bottom of this. So he snapped the unconscious hunter to the front of the hotel, making it look like he had carried the man back.

Dean did not look happy. At all.

"Dammit Sammy. Sorry about this. He knows how I feel about him taking those pills," said Dean, maneuvering his brother around his shoulder.

"Pills?" asked Gabriel.

"Anti depressants. He gets a little loopy when he mixes them with alcohol, but I wasn't expecting him to slip out of the room without Cas warning me," said Dean.

"Cas?"

The dog barked, going to his master and whining. It was obvious the angel wasn't awake at the moment, or he would have noticed Gabriel.

"Tell him to go on a diet. Wasn't easy figuring out where the guy kept his room key, or hauling him here," said Gabriel with false cheer.

He needed answers, like why in his Father's name Sam Winchester had Lucifer's grace, but not Lucifer himself. Or why an angel was guarding them when last time he checked, they were doing a hand's off approach until Dean came out of hell.

* * *

Gabriel's suspicions about Sam bore fruit when, instead of coming at him with the Colt, he had something infinitely more dangerous.

"Where'd you find the holy oil?" he had to ask.

"Internet," was Sam's flippant reply. Gabriel snorted. Trust the humans to find a way to sell holy oil and get it across borders without the angels realizing it.

"So what's the plan Sasquatch?"

"You mean aside from deep frying your ass if you come anywhere near my brother or me again?" snarled Sam.

"Sam?"

"He's a fucking angel Dean. Hiding in plain sight, and with how much of an asshole he was the first time I'm betting he's a seraph at least," said Sam. Gabriel looked mildly insulted at the accusation. He was higher than some jumped up seraph, thank you very much.

"Is this part of the whole the 'higher the choir, the bigger the asshole' theory you have going on?" asked Dean.

"Dean, last time I ran into him, he killed you over two hundred consecutive times and then forced me to live six months trying to hunt him and then tempted me to kill Bobby in an attempt to summon him. Excuse me for wanting to fry him in holy oil," said Sam flatly. Cas barked.

Realization hit Gabriel like a brick. Time travel. That had to be why Sam Winchester was off, though how he pulled it off and had Lucifer's grace was a mystery.

"Looks like we're at an impasse boys. Too bad I don't plan to stick around to see how this ends. Ta~!" said Gabriel, vanishing without warning.

However that didn't mean he wasn't going to stick around to find out what the hell was going on first. He would just have to be very, very tricky about how he found out.

* * *

Sam knew something was up when he felt a presence in his head. It wasn't Lucifer, and it definitely wasn't Castiel. Which left the mystery angel.

Sam tried to kick him out, but instead felt mostly curiosity.

He glared in the general direction he felt Loki was in.

"_Get out of my head you asshole! It's bad enough your kind screwed everything up the first time!"_ he snarled.

He heard a chuckle.

**Here's the deal Moose. I'm not with heaven anymore. I left when the getting was good before Mikey or Lucy dragged me into their argument and I want answers. You're not getting rid of me that easily until I find out what's going on, **said Loki.

"_You want to know what's going on? Fine!"_ snapped Sam. The sooner he got rid of this damn angel, the happier he would be. He sent Loki the memories of Lucifer breaking him, of the events that followed right up until he stole Lucifer's grace to return to the past in order to change everything.

Loki had no idea of Sam's plan to end this permanently. He didn't want the angel warning Castiel or Dean.

He could feel Loki's shock and the sympathy from the angel. Sam rebuffed the other feeling. He didn't want Loki's sympathy. He didn't deserve it for falling for Ruby and Lilith's tricks.

Gabriel felt a little ashamed for forcing the human to relive that. He had no idea the younger Winchester was so strong, yet at the same time weaker than his brother. Sam had done the impossible to save Dean, yet he denied himself any chance to be happy because he knew his fate and was determined to stop it at any cost. And the arch angel had a bad feeling Sam was going to do something extremely drastic to insure Lucifer stayed in the pit.


End file.
